Yeah. I am always intrigued by growing and rolling my own, even though I don't smoke (smoked a pipe for awhile), but then I read about the curing process, and I'm like...uh, no time for that crap. And then I realize it's bad for me anyway. lol.
There's a tobacco unique to Louisiana, grown from pre-Columbian native American times, and then from French colonial times and still processed by the ancient method, in St. James Parish, in the Mississippi valley (right down the road from Vacherie, home of THP member brian2112). It's called Perique, and is so dark and potent that is must be blended with a drier leaf to even stay lit. It was used in the old weapons-grade New Orleans cigarette brand Picayune. Back in the day I bought Perique tobacco here in Shreveport and mixed it with a Swedish cigarette tobacco for hand-rolled cigarettes....If you were a hard-core pipe tobacco guy, you probably know about Perique already. Anyway, I believe there's only about 40 acres or so of it in production any more. Here's a good article, with photos:
http://pipesmagazine...que-of-perique/
Nice vid, Gary. To bad the frost burned them all down
Maybe the stems will make new growth next spring like your other plants did this year?
Thanks, Stefan! It could happen, but to be honest, the re-sprouts grew more slowly than the newly sprouted plants. They bore boatloads of fruit, finally, in October, but never reached over about 2 feet in height. The newly-sprouted Scorpions all reached 6 feet, in containers!
Hi Gary,
I read through your whole season's glog in two nights.
Just like last year, I think you have one of the most magnificent grows on the forum!
I am glad to see that at least one of the seeds I sent to you grew into a nice plant. It looked quite robust, and I am also glad you have saved seeds from that plant. I am not sure why the seeds I shared with you, Mike, and Rodney grew two different plants. They came from the same pepper hedge. I am wondering if perhaps another pepper was growing among the pequin, or if the original mother plant was a cross? This is a photo of the mother bush. I hope next year more grow true for you.
http://i676.photobuc...ov72011x800.jpg
Personal stuff has kept me away from my new hobby in 2012, but am looking forward to growing from seed for 2013. I too enjoyed seeing the photos of the pups, especially Charlie! May your holiday season be full of cheer and some heat!
Wow, Brian, thanks so much! It's SO good to see you back here! We were all wondering if you would be back...Thanks so much for the photo of the mother Piquin. You should know that I am overwintering the one plant that grew true fruit, so even if the seeds don't grow true, I will still have the one plant. I
love those fiery little nuggets of Texas joy! By the way, my co-workers enjoyed the pods from the other plants...They were like soft, miniature Jalapeños...
Thanks for posting and thanks for coming back to the THP! I'm looking forward to hearing from you in 2013!
Gary cool video !
So many pods, thats just plain unbelievable... those Bonda's are stoked up well,.....nice touch with the "trip wire" guard dog sound effects to stop any pepper stealing intruders..................hah
You will have a "Red and Yellow" Christmas.............who needs a white one....
Haha! Thanks Greg! That's my wife's long-haired Chihuahua...He has a tiny girlfriend on the other side of the fence, and that obnoxious barking is the form their courting takes. I almost don't hear it anymore. Almost...
In the old pecan orchard behind the house there lives a pack of coyotes, among other things (bobcats, too, and lots and lots of cottontails). The only time we are aware of them is when it turns real cold and they do that coyote yelping thing. It's so freaking cool...Maybe I can get a video of it.